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"Can I take Ciprofloxacin after three days treatment of Azithromycin for recurring of sore throat?"

Zocdoc›Answers›Can I take Ciprofloxacin after three days treatment of Azithromycin for recurring of sore throat?

Question

I took Azithromycin for my sore throat last Saturday (for three days) and today(it's Thursday today) my throat is paining again. Can I take Ciprofloxacin this time? I felt nausea, irregular heartbeat and burning sensation in my food pipe with Azithromycin last time. Generally for how long shall I continue the antibiotic treatment? I catch cold and sore throat every month or two and it is with fever and severe feeling of fatigue. And only strong antibiotics work for me.

Answer

I should start off by saying here that it does not sound like that any anabiotic will likely help you in this specific situation, but it is important that you speak with your primary care doctor. Sore throats are almost always caused by a viral infection. Viruses cannot be sure with antibiotics. Antibiotics only help fight bacterial infections. The only type of bacterial throat infection that is common is strep throat, and it usually does not accompany a cold. Azithromycin is not a recommended anabiotic for strep throat and neither is ciprofloxacin. Azithromycin does work but is is not recommended to be used as a first-line in people that do not have penicillin allergies. In people that do have strep throat to take azithromycin, they get better which you didn't. This supports the notion that this is not a bacterial infection. If you had a viral infection, you would not get better with the antibiotics, you would get better naturally. To make sure of this, you should schedule an appointment with a primary care physician. Your doctor will likely perform a detailed throat exam and might even perform a rapid strep test. The rapid strep test can help rule out strep throat in you. If you do end up having strep throat, then you should be treated with penicillin unless you have an allergy. If you do not have strep throat as I suspect, then you should be treated with medications that helps soothe the sore throat and medications that can help improve your other symptoms.

Zocdoc Answers is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor (in the United States) 911 immediately. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. Medical professionals who provide responses to health-related questions are intended third party beneficiaries with certain rights under Zocdoc’s Terms of Service.

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Zocdoc Answers is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor (in the United States) 911 immediately. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. Medical professionals who provide responses to health-related questions are intended third party beneficiaries with certain rights under Zocdoc’s Terms of Service.